Lexs400

i went to the preview at the dearlship in NJ but didnt quite stay there for long. I wanted to see the new GS in person to make a decision that was long awaited. whether to spend the money on the third gen GS or go for a pre owned 2nd gen.
after looking at the newer model, I must admitt, I have come to appreciate the 2nd gen model even more.
to me the newer model is def. more sports, but less luxury.
the trunk is pretty much useless from a practical stand point, you'd have to get inside it like a cave to put things in and out,
the headroom is very very low compared to 2nd gen which i didnt like at all,
the dashpanel seems to have lower quality than the current model, and while some would love the new lighting in the dash, i tend to like the on in 2nd gen with the light green ligh better.

that's just my own observation, but this might not keep my from gettting the newer model. i still might, but the excitement level of gaining the luxury i would expect for the money just wont be there.

flipside909

I've noticed the same trend with other Gen 2 owners. I've noticed many of Gen 2 owners are not too enthused about the new GS unlike new perspective customers. But to be honest, the average person doesn't buy the same exact car the next time around. There are a small few that actually do this, but the average consumer is more likely to 1) Upgrade to a different model 2) Go a different brand 3) Go a different platform all together perhaps from a car to a truck, car to suv or etc.

Use my example for instance. I am an owner of a Gen 1 1999 Toyota Camry Solara. I've always loved the way it looked from it's inception to it's last year of production in 02. When the 03 Solara evolved to what it is today, many Gen 1 owners were totally disappointed as well as myself. Sure it's a very nice car in it's own respects, but I felt it didn't have the qualities that my Gen 1 Solara had. I really had no intention of buying a new 2nd Generation Solara anyway (nor did many of the other enthusiasts on the Toyota message boards)...so my gripe with it went away and accepted it for what it was. On the upside, I did upgrade from the Solara to my current IS300. Preceding those two vehicles were an Avalon and a Corolla. I plan to "upgrade" when the time comes for a new vehicle. At this point, it's aimed towards the new GS! Sure the new IS will probably be killer but I would like to get into the next level.

Lexs400

glad to know there are other CL members with similiar perspectives.

lexguynj

I am a former owner of a 2001 GS430 and I love the new generation GS and the new GS430 looks great! I still like the old version, but note I already am saying the old version, because it already looks outdated now next to this new generation and it just came out.

If it's not a money issue, I would strongly recommend buying the new GS, and I am not going to tell you this because of the resale value (who cares if you just want enjoy your car), I am saying this because a 2nd GEN GS will soon give you that feeling when you see a 1st GEN GS - it's old and outdated.

Lexs400

went to test drive the new gs300 AWD today.
here's what I found.
interior noise is atleast 5 times what you would hear in the 2nd gen GS. My corolla has a quieter interior. I could hear the wind noise, road noice and even the tire noise from the cars behind and besides me. it was ridiculous.
the interior seems as if you're too far away from the dash panel, too far to the point where you feel disconnected from the interior guages.
headroom has def. shrinked
legroom is more lengthwise but less width as compared to 2nd gen.
verdict: it feels like you're driving a very high class version of toyota celica.
it doesnt feel like a lexus at all.